Written Answers Friday 23 March 2007

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any information from medical and official literature which suggests that the eight-minute response time target for ambulance crews is not evidence-based and may be placing patients and ambulance crews at risk and, if so, what the sources of this information are.

Mr Andy Kerr: The eight minute target is an internationally recognised target based on medical research which demonstrates that the earlier an emergency ambulance can arrive at the scene of a cardiac arrest, the greater the chances are of saving that victims life.

  There are numerous medical research reports which demonstrate that the benefits of a priority based dispatch system far outweigh the risks associated with the first come, first served system which was in operation previously. References to some of these reports are listed in Annex C of the NHS Executives Review of Ambulance Performance Standards Final Report of Steering Group published in July 1996 (ref. no: HMN7:TSHJ 1996 f).

  The National Audit Office, the Audit Committee of the Scottish Parliament and the Health Department all supported the 2002 decision of the Scottish Ambulance Service to implement priority based dispatch.

Ambulance Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the clinical algorithms used by the Scottish Ambulance Service to prioritise 999 calls allow sufficient flexibility to judge a patients condition accurately.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the clinical algorithms used by the Scottish Ambulance Service to prioritise 999 calls include one for oncology patients and, if not, whether one will be added.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Ambulance Service rolled out priority based dispatch across mainland Scotland between 2002 and 2004. This system prioritises 999 emergency calls to ensure that patients who are at the most immediate risk receive the fastest response. The ambulance service’s call handlers identify the patients presenting conditions by asking set questions based on medically proven algorithms. Regular audits are carried out to ensure that call handlers are using key words when asking the caller these questions. This ensures that the seriousness of the situation is captured accurately. The computer system is configured to be risk averse so that, as a rule, the outcome errs on the side of caution.

  The algorithms are based on presenting conditions which might be life-threatening, for example chest pains, breathing problems, unconsciousness and haemorrhaging, some of which might be symptomatic of cancer. Whilst there is no clinical algorithm specifically for oncology patients, doctors can request that a flag be placed on a patients record to provide the ambulance service’s call handler with additional information about that patients condition.

  The ambulance service’s non-emergency patient transport service places patients who have a clinical need for transport into priority categories based on the treatment being undertaken at clinics. The ambulance service focuses resources on delivering services to patients with medical conditions such as oncology, renal dialysis, cardiac and mental illness.

Bankruptcy

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals declared themselves bankrupt in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Johann Lamont: The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of bankruptcies are compiled by financial year. The following table gives the number of individuals who have made themselves bankrupt (debtor petition) for the financial years 1999-2000 to 2005-06 showing percentage change on the previous year.

  Details on the number of awards of bankruptcy by parliamentary constituency is not available.

  Further information on bankruptcies is available in the Accountant in Bankruptcy’s Annual Report which is available at www.aib.gov.uk.

  
  Financial Year
  Number of Debtor Petition Bankruptcies in Scotland
  Percentage Change on 
Previous Year

  1999-2000
  2,027
  3.90%

  2000-01
  1,801
  -11.10%

  2001-02
  2,130
  18.30%

  2002-03
  1,798
  -15.60%

  2003-04
  1,715
  -4.60%

  2004-05
  1,655
  -3.50%

  2005-06
  2,314
  39.80%



  Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in Scotland were declared bankrupt in each year since 1997.

Johann Lamont: The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of bankruptcies are compiled by financial year. The following table gives the number of bankruptcies for the financial years 1996-97 to 2005-06.

  
  Financial Year
  Number of Bankruptcies in Scotland

  1996-97
  2,534

  1997-98
  2,701

  1998-99
  2,701

  1999-2000
  3,110

  2000-01
  3,185

  2001-02
  3,193

  2002-03
  3,228

  2003-04
  3,309

  2004-05
  3,521

  2005-06
  5,423



  Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Care of Elderly People

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional provision it is making for the care of elderly people in the Highland Council or NHS Highland areas, in light of predictions about the increasing proportion of the population aged over 75.

Lewis Macdonald: In addition to the money provided through the core settlement for care of the elderly, the Scottish Executive is making additional provision through the local authority revenue settlement of 16.3 million in 2006-07 and 42 million in 2007-08 for the increased number of older people in Scotland. Highland Council’s share of this money is 671,000 in 2006-07 and 1,730,000 for 2007-08. The distribution formula for allocating the core settlement has been developed over several years in conjunction with COSLA and the distribution takes account of a number of demographic factors, including the proportion of elderly population.

  In addition to this the Finance Minister announced in December 2006 an additional 201 million of which Highland Council will receive 10.493 million. This was not provided for a particular purpose but in general recognition of a range of pressures on local authority services.

  NHS Highland has been allocated a total of 487.796 million in 2006-07, an increase of 31.012 million on the current year, and 513.03 in 2007-08. This money is distributed to the board on the basis of the Arbuthnott formula which is calculated each year and weighted to take into account various factors specific to the population of each board area, including the age of its population. Any changes in the age profile of NHS Highland’s population will be reflected in the Arbuthnott formula and therefore impact on the level of funding the board receives.

  It is however the responsibility of local authorities and NHS boards to provide appropriate service provision to meet the needs and priorities of their area.

Castle Tioram

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what amount Historic Scotland would make available to defray the costs of any work to Castle Tioram; whether it is normal practice for Historic Scotland to offer to defray the costs of any work when not requested to do so by the owner, and whether it will cite other examples where Historic Scotland has made offers that funding will be available when such finance has not been sought by the owners of the property in question.

Patricia Ferguson: While Historic Scotland has indicated that it is willing to consider grant-aid for consolidation and repair of the monument, and for improving visitor interpretation, there is presently no detailed and costed scheme of works, so to offer a figure would be premature and potentially misleading. Given the importance of the site Historic Scotland is confident that if a scheme were to be agreed, resources would be found for urgently necessary work. In recent years projects of a similar general scale have been supported through its Ancient Monuments Grant scheme at castles in different parts of Scotland: for example Gylen (Argyll and Bute) and Cessford (Scottish Borders). Currently funded projects include Moy (Argyll and Bute) and Invergarry (Highland) Castles.

  Historic Scotland is expected to use its powers under the Ancient Monuments legislation pro-actively. It is not uncommon for Historic Scotland to make it known in the course of visits of monument wardens and inspectors that support might be found for the consolidation or care of an important monument, even when the owner has not made a direct request for help. The grant-aided conservation work at Moy and Cessford Castles came about after initial meetings with the area inspector to discuss the condition and future care of the monuments. Typically, at such discussions the inspector will explain the grant application process and indicate the likelihood of a project receiving grant, although prospective applicants are then encouraged to write to Historic Scotland to begin the process of formal consideration for grant.

  Routinely, Historic Scotland also works with a range of community groups, conservation trusts and other bodies who wish to pursue the management of key historic environment assets which they do not themselves own, although such bodies are required to obtain agreement from owners of sites affected by their proposals before they can receive grant aid.

Civil Service

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve leadership and management in the civil service in line with the key areas for action identified in Taking Stock Review: Fit for the Future , published in December 2006.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Permanent Secretary has established a new Strategic Board whose responsibilities include oversight of actions to respond to recommendations in the Taking Stock report.

  The report highlighted a need to build on evidence of effective leadership in parts of the organisation in order to deliver strong corporate leadership at senior levels across the Executive as a whole. Work to improve leadership and management in the organisation includes all members of the senior civil service undertaking a 360 degree feedback process by this summer; building a renewed emphasis on leadership and behaviours into internal and external appointments processes for senior civil service posts, based on the requirements of the Professional Skills for Government framework, and continuing to roll out the Executive’s programmes on Public Value and on Adaptive Leadership to staff in senior and middle management positions.

Community Councils

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the final report of the review of community councils.

George Lyon: The analysis of the responses to the Scottish Executive discussion paper What can we do to help Community Councils fulfil their role?  was published in December 2006 on the Scottish Executive website along with the recommendations resulting from the review.

Community Councils

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable and membership will be of the short-life working group established to take forward the recommendations of the review of community councils.

George Lyon: It is intended that the working group will exist for one year commencing in April 2007. The working group will consist of six local authority representatives, six community council representatives, the Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC), the Society of Local Authority Lawyers (SOLAR) and COSLA. The final working group membership will be published on the Scottish Executive website on its formation.

Community Councils

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when a code of conduct for members of community councils will be introduced.

George Lyon: One of the tasks to be undertaken by the working group will be to develop a code of conduct for community councillors. The working group is expected to conclude its work by spring 2008.

Community Councils

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to revise and strengthen the procedures for elections to community councils.

George Lyon: The procedures for community council elections were addressed in the recommendations made to ministers as a result of the review and it is expected that this will be considered by the Working Group in the context of Model Community Council Schemes and Good Practice Guidance.

Concessionary Travel

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake of travel cards under the national concessionary travel scheme has been in Stirling.

Tavish Scott: Statistics are only available by local authority area. Therefore, as at 20 March 2007 the number of National Entitlement Cards, which give an entitlement to Scotland-wide free bus travel for older and disabled people and Scotland-wide concessionary travel scheme for young people, issued to Stirling Council residents was as follows:

  
Older and Disabled People
15,394

Young People
1,081

Total 
16,475

Concessionary Travel

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that bus drivers are aware of the terms of the Thistle Travel Card scheme and treat passengers presenting such cards with due patience and consideration.

Tavish Scott: The Executive initially provided funding of £50,000 to ENABLE to produce the Thistle Card, guidance to local authorities and promotional materials. In 2003-04 an additional £21,557 was provided to produce further leaflets and promotional material for the scheme. A further £29,258 was later awarded to ENABLE to carry out research into the effectiveness of the scheme.

  Officials are currently working closely with ENABLE to re-launch the scheme and devise an appropriate training programme for transport operators, with funding from the Executive.

Courts

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions each of the three verdicts available to Scottish courts has been used in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table. The figures for acquittals include an element of estimation to take account of undercounting due to recording delays.

  Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish courts, 2005-06: Estimated Number by Type of Verdict1

  
Verdict
Estimated Number

Guilty
128,400

Acquitted – not guilty2,3
14,400

Acquitted – not proven2
800



  Notes:

  1. Excludes persons against whom proceedings were started but which are dropped before they reach court.

  2. May be an underestimate due to recording delays.

  3. Includes plea not guilty accepted or case deserted.

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for (a) vehicle theft, (b) theft, (c) sexual offences, (d) robbery, (e) racially aggravated offences, (f) breach of the peace, (g) domestic burglary, (h) non-domestic burglary, (i) motoring offences, (j) fraud and forgery, (k) drug offences, (l) causing death by dangerous driving, (m) causing injury by reckless driving, (n) criminal damage, (o) breach of bail, (p) arson and (q) violence against the person were brought against young people aged 18 and under that resulted in (i) acquittal and (ii) conviction in each year since 2001.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table. Causing injury by reckless driving is not an identifiable offence in the available statistics.

  Persons Aged 18 and Under Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Selected Offences1, 2001-02 to 2005-06

  
  Main Offence
  Charge Not Proved4
  Charge Proved
  Total

  Theft of a motor vehicle
 
 
 

  2001-02
  226
  596
  822

  2002-03
  115
  569
  684

  2003-04
  138
  527
  665

  2004-05
  109
  403
  512

  2005-06
  120
  353
  473

  Other theft
 
 
 

  2001-02
  325
  1,745
  2,070

  2002-03
  187
  1,577
  1,764

  2003-04
  183
  1,377
  1,560

  2004-05
  184
  1,299
  1,483

  2005-06
  167
  1,128
  1,295

  Crimes of indecency
 
 
 

  2001-02
  13
  66
  79

  2002-03
  5
  41
  46

  2003-04
  14
  73
  87

  2004-05
  20
  69
  89

  2005-06
  21
  83
  104

  Robbery
 
 
 

  2001-02
  28
  130
  158

  2002-03
  22
  159
  181

  2003-04
  34
  127
  161

  2004-05
  22
  142
  164

  2005-06
  25
  97
  122

  Racially Aggravated Conduct and Harassment2
 
 
 

  2001-02
  29
  77
  106

  2002-03
  16
  96
  112

  2003-04
  33
  116
  149

  2004-05
  41
  132
  173

  2005-06
  44
  131
  175

  Breach of the Peace
 
 
 

  2001-02
  334
  1,863
  2,197

  2002-03
  238
  1,804
  2,042

  2003-04
  311
  1,952
  2,263

  2004-05
  349
  1,992
  2,341

  2005-06
  377
  2,146
  2,523

  Housebreaking2
 
 
 

  2001-02
  128
  507
  635

  2002-03
  78
  542
  620

  2003-04
  99
  443
  542

  2004-05
  100
  426
  526

  2005-06
  73
  377
  450

  Motor vehicle Offences
 
 
 

  2001-02
  214
  2,472
  2,686

  2002-03
  158
  3,051
  3,209

  2003-04
  162
  2,982
  3,144

  2004-05
  156
  2,507
  2,663

  2005-06
  143
  2,439
  2,582

  Fraud and Forgery
 
 
 

  2001-02
  18
  96
  114

  2002-03
  12
  85
  97

  2003-04
  15
  74
  89

  2004-05
  15
  63
  78

  2005-06
  10
  56
  66

  Drug Offences
 
 
 

  2001-02
  91
  531
  622

  2002-03
  40
  556
  596

  2003-04
  41
  650
  691

  2004-05
  60
  665
  725

  2005-06
  67
  628
  695

  Causing Death by Dangerous Driving
 
 
 

  2002-03
  -
  2
  2

  2003-04
  -
  1
  1

  2004-05
  -
  2
  2

  2005-06
  -
  1
  1

  Vandalism, Reckless Damage and Malicious Mischief
 
 
 

  2001-02
  165
  961
  1,126

  2002-03
  92
  994
  1,086

  2003-04
  129
  1,146
  1,275

  2004-05
  148
  1,227
  1,375

  2005-06
  164
  1,257
  1,421

  Bail offences
 
 
 

  2001-02
  102
  478
  580

  2002-03
  52
  449
  501

  2003-04
  71
  536
  607

  2004-05
  66
  662
  728

  2005-06
  65
  646
  711

  Fire-Raising
 
 
 

  2001-02
  11
  39
  50

  2002-03
  9
  35
  44

  2003-04
  8
  46
  54

  2004-05
  19
  72
  91

  2005-06
  13
  55
  68

  Violence Against Person3
 
 
 

  2001-02
  103
  334
  437

  2002-03
  77
  431
  508

  2003-04
  87
  422
  509

  2004-05
  81
  437
  518

  2005-06
  85
  367
  452



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. Domestic and non-domestic housebreakings are not separately identified in the statistics available on prosecutions.

  3. Includes Justice Department crime non-sexual crimes of violence and common assault.

  4. May be underestimates due to recording delays.

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) prosecuted, (d) found guilty and (e) given a custodial sentence in cases involving (i) domestic violence, (ii) rape, (iii) violence against the person and (iv) burglary in each year from 1997 to 2006, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: Data on numbers of arrests and charges are not held centrally. The recorded crime statistics held centrally do not contain information about the details of a crime, for instance the relationship between the victim and the accused for crimes of violence. Information requested about the number of instances of burglary recorded since 1997 in each police force area was given in the answer to question S2W-29857 on 18 December 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The available information on recorded crime and on prosecutions and convictions is given in the following tables. Information in relation to prosecutions arising from incidents of domestic violence is not separately identifiable in the available statistics.

  The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. A crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year. Crimes committed by children aged under 16 are also generally dealt with through the children’s hearings system rather than the courts.

  Crimes of Rape Recorded by the Police, 1997-98 to 2005-06

  
Police Force
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06

Central
11
19
4
17
37
50
51
45
62

Dumfries and Galloway
19
27
39
16
20
16
26
20
29

Fife
31
30
43
46
52
73
78
83
88

Grampian
68
68
86
55
52
74
82
70
109

Lothian and Borders
165
146
91
130
138
173
181
240
220

Northern
23
23
38
14
29
30
53
54
46

Strathclyde
214
220
222
213
243
244
315
325
331

Tayside
65
74
63
58
60
83
59
63
90

Scotland
596
607
586
549
631
743
845
900
975



  Crimes of Violence Against the Person1 Recorded by the Police, 1997-98 to 2005-06

  
Police Force
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06

Central
530
591
517
602
809
810
837
828
778

Dumfries and Galloway
375
284
240
241
262
283
323
271
279

Fife
541
550
744
874
963
771
694
707
709

Grampian
960
1,034
1,225
1,519
1,327
1,346
1,290
1,290
1,237

Lothian and Borders
2,115
2,201
2,642
2,809
2,673
3,110
2,856
2,736
2,588

Northern
437
516
545
660
665
654
655
730
771

Strathclyde
8,793
10,412
11,183
10,933
12,475
13,137
12,966
13,165
12,667

Tayside
1,290
1,208
1,042
963
829
693
688
814
778

Scotland
15,041
16,796
18,138
18,601
20,003
20,804
20,309
20,541
19,807



  Persons Proceeded Against for Rape2, 1997-98 to 2005-06

  
Police Force
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06

Central 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
3
3
10
3
1
4
1
8
9

Charge proved 
-
3
2
1
-
2
1
1
3

Custodial sentence
-
2
2
1
-
2
1
1
3

Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
1
-
3
2
2
1
2
3
3

Charge proved 
1
-
1
2
1
1
-
-
1

Custodial sentence
1
-
1
2
1
1
-
-
1

Fife 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
6
16
5
2
8
7
3
11
12

Charge proved 
4
10
1
1
5
5
2
10
5

Custodial sentence
3
9
1
1
5
4
1
10
4

Grampian 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
3
9
6
2
4
4
5
6
3

Charge proved 
-
5
5
1
2
2
2
3
1

Custodial sentence
-
5
5
1
1
2
2
3
1

Lothian and Borders 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
14
14
13
14
19
15
19
21
13

Charge proved 
9
5
7
9
12
8
9
11
3

Custodial sentence
8
5
7
8
10
7
8
10
3

Northern 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
3
1
3
-
3
5
3
8
6

Charge proved 
2
1
3
-
3
4
2
3
4

Custodial sentence
2
1
3
-
3
4
2
3
4

Strathclyde 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
26
18
13
24
24
19
34
30
34

Charge proved 
10
12
8
11
20
14
16
15
18

Custodial sentence
10
11
7
9
18
14
15
15
17

Tayside 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
5
5
2
5
7
4
12
7
8

Charge proved 
4
1
-
3
3
2
6
3
3

Custodial sentence
4
1
-
2
3
2
6
3
3

Scotland3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
61
66
55
52
68
59
80
94
88

Charge proved 
30
37
27
28
46
38
38
46
38

Custodial sentence
28
34
26
24
41
36
35
45
36



  Persons Proceeded Against for Violence Against the Person1,2, 1997-98 to 2005-06

  
Police Force
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06

Central 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
160
137
160
178
187
206
251
265
206

Charge proved 
124
112
122
130
134
169
189
212
153

Custodial sentence
44
38
28
35
35
55
58
63
43

Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
105
108
92
92
98
113
101
126
117

Charge proved 
84
76
69
75
77
91
73
97
87

Custodial sentence
26
15
24
28
32
32
27
31
26

Fife 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
169
135
149
149
219
195
164
153
208

Charge proved 
131
97
117
112
162
161
124
121
167

Custodial sentence
48
34
33
39
49
43
38
42
59

Grampian 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
230
275
232
196
240
239
307
330
373

Charge proved 
191
222
175
154
204
202
247
270
332

Custodial sentence
38
37
46
37
58
38
60
61
87

Lothian and Borders 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
597
531
464
560
587
759
750
714
694

Charge proved 
488
453
368
465
475
606
612
575
563

Custodial sentence
159
158
127
188
140
206
213
200
171

Northern 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
134
111
114
115
116
135
161
159
154

Charge proved 
101
83
92
104
100
109
129
133
127

Custodial sentence
31
26
35
40
31
28
48
45
46

Strathclyde 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
2,982
2,793
3,090
3,372
3,585
3,133
3,626
4,105
3,842

Charge proved 
2,166
2,081
2,290
2,401
2,674
2,822
3,141
3,552
3,247

Custodial sentence
735
699
813
862
916
1,035
1,008
1,099
1,080

Tayside 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
395
401
354
400
403
413
365
411
455

Charge proved 
264
258
230
272
270
309
260
294
350

Custodial sentence
74
90
71
67
85
110
72
85
133

Scotland(3)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
4,772
4,491
4,655
5,063
5,435
5,193
5,726
6,264
6,050

Charge proved 
3,549
3,382
3,463
3,714
4,096
4,469
4,776
5,254
5,027

Custodial sentence
1,155
1,097
1,177
1,297
1,346
1,547
1,525
1,626
1,645



  Persons Proceeded Against for Housebreaking2, 1997-98 to 2005-06

  
Police Force
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06

Central 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
193
152
152
141
183
193
168
191
94

Charge proved 
148
115
121
126
157
167
140
151
77

Custodial sentence
61
58
47
57
72
87
73
54
29

Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
133
137
103
137
118
108
106
80
79

Charge proved 
110
123
85
118
103
92
89
75
71

Custodial sentence
45
71
41
60
67
52
38
44
49

Fife 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
372
358
347
334
348
314
275
278
220

Charge proved 
331
324
311
301
312
281
250
252
204

Custodial sentence
172
151
156
121
113
89
115
116
75

Grampian 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
553
571
485
459
470
369
387
340
277

Charge proved 
494
503
420
414
406
333
358
312
256

Custodial sentence
239
195
172
209
179
145
155
141
99

Lothian and Borders 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
499
404
402
404
400
486
412
376
363

Charge proved 
450
361
354
357
352
425
359
334
324

Custodial sentence
179
144
158
175
193
206
176
157
136

Northern 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
138
125
111
92
96
98
115
88
94

Charge proved 
115
112
93
84
90
86
105
76
81

Custodial sentence
31
32
29
29
39
20
37
27
28

Strathclyde 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
1,647
1,705
1,628
1,396
1,391
1,218
1,164
1,149
876

Charge proved 
1,249
1,333
1,286
1,084
1,079
1,114
1,017
982
767

Custodial sentence
622
723
767
659
627
607
541
484
364

Tayside 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
396
288
273
242
238
299
256
231
254

Charge proved 
277
200
190
192
173
254
190
191
208

Custodial sentence
110
72
99
95
84
130
78
94
104

Scotland3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proceeded against
3,931
3,740
3,501
3,205
3,244
3,085
2,883
2,733
2,258

Charge proved 
3,174
3,071
2,860
2,676
2,672
2,752
2,508
2,373
1,989

Custodial sentence
1,459
1,446
1,469
1,405
1,374
1,336
1,213
1,117
884



  Notes:

  1. For the purposes of this analysis, violence against the person has been defined to include the crime categories of non-sexual crimes of violence (excluding robbery), endangering rail passengers, reckless driving at common law, supply of glue sniffing kits and offensive weapons

  2. Where main offence. The figures for persons proceeded against may exclude some acquittals due to recording delays.

  3. Totals may include some cases where police force is unknown.

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31895 by Cathy Jamieson on 2 March 2007, whether it will list the 10 local authority areas with the (a) biggest and (b) smallest (i) reductions and (ii) increases in the number of (A) serious assaults, (B) robberies, (C) crimes of indecency, (d) rapes and attempted rapes, (e) indecent assaults and (f) cases of lewd and indecent behaviour since 1996-97.

Cathy Jamieson: The figures requested are shown in the following tables:

  Recorded Crimes of Serious Assault by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 

1996-97

2005-06

Difference

Difference
  (%) 


Eilean Siar (W. Isles)

0

15

15

-


Shetland Islands

0

8

8

-


Highland

51

228

177

347.1


Fife

96

260

164

170.8


Orkney Islands

5

10

5

100.0


Clackmannanshire

32

47

15

46.9


City of Glasgow

1,449

1,954

505

34.9


Aberdeenshire

98

120

22

22.4


West Dunbartonshire

177

215

38

21.5


Renfrewshire

279

300

21

7.5


East Ayrshire

149

156

7

4.7


Moray

45

47

2

4.4


Midlothian

59

61

2

3.4


Dundee City

143

147

4

2.8


South Ayrshire

139

141

2

1.4


North Ayrshire

227

228

1

0.4


Aberdeen City

175

173

-2

-1.1


East Dunbartonshire

100

98

-2

-2.0


Inverclyde

162

157

-5

-3.1


Dumfries and Galloway

110

106

-4

-3.6


Stirling

57

53

-4

-7.0


East Renfrewshire

60

55

-5

-8.3


South Lanarkshire

497

443

-54

-10.9


Perth and Kinross

62

55

-7

-11.3


North Lanarkshire

534

458

-76

-14.2


West Lothian

163

138

-25

-15.3


Argyll and Bute

107

88

-19

-17.8


Falkirk

128

96

-32

-25.0


Angus

64

45

-19

-29.7


Scottish Borders

88

57

-31

-35.2


City of Edinburgh

552

330

-222

-40.2


East Lothian

62

31

-31

-50.0


All Scotland

5,870

6,320

450

7.7



  Recorded Crimes of Robbery by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 

1996-97

2005-06

Difference

Difference
  (%) 


Shetland Islands

0

1

1

-


Moray

4

20

16

400.0


Fife

108

183

75

69.4


East Lothian

13

21

8

61.5


Aberdeenshire

20

32

12

60.0


Falkirk

24

32

8

33.3


Highland

32

39

7

21.9


West Lothian

69

71

2

2.9


Aberdeen City

183

188

5

2.7


Orkney Islands

0

0

0

0.0


Stirling

42

38

-4

-9.5


Argyll and Bute

19

17

-2

-10.5


North Ayrshire

109

97

-12

-11.0


Dumfries and Galloway

43

37

-6

-14.0


East Ayrshire

68

58

-10

-14.7


City of Edinburgh

696

556

-140

-20.1


North Lanarkshire

228

172

-56

-24.6


Scottish Borders

15

11

-4

-26.7


Midlothian

26

19

-7

-26.9


South Ayrshire

56

38

-18

-32.1


Dundee City

160

107

-53

-33.1


South Lanarkshire

261

173

-88

-33.7


East Renfrewshire

71

44

-27

-38.0


City of Glasgow

2,004

1,200

-804

-40.1


Clackmannanshire

32

19

-13

-40.6


West Dunbartonshire

148

85

-63

-42.6


Angus

13

7

-6

-46.2


Renfrewshire

362

192

-170

-47.0


Perth and Kinross

50

20

-30

-60.0


Inverclyde

189

57

-132

-69.8


East Dunbartonshire

69

19

-50

-72.5


Eilean Siar (W. Isles)

4

0

-4

-100.0


All Scotland

5,118

3,553

-1,565

-30.6



  Recorded Crimes of Indecency1 by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 
  1996-97
  2005-06
  Difference
  Difference
  (%)

  Eilean Siar (W. Isles)
  5
  31
  26
  520.0

  Dumfries and Galloway
  39
  136
  97
  248.7

  Clackmannanshire
  24
  81
  57
  237.5

  Shetland Islands
  13
  41
  28
  215.4

  Falkirk
  79
  197
  118
  149.4

  Moray
  85
  199
  114
  134.1

  Fife
  235
  479
  244
  103.8

  Midlothian
  68
  134
  66
  97.1

  Perth and Kinross
  76
  130
  54
  71.1

  Highland
  159
  258
  99
  62.3

  Stirling
  82
  126
  44
  53.7

  Argyll and Bute
  62
  92
  30
  48.4

  North Ayrshire
  140
  198
  58
  41.4

  Aberdeenshire
  172
  242
  70
  40.7

  West Lothian
  137
  188
  51
  37.2

  West Dunbartonshire
  65
  88
  23
  35.4

  East Ayrshire
  77
  103
  26
  33.8

  North Lanarkshire
  220
  288
  68
  30.9

  Scottish Borders
  83
  105
  22
  26.5

  Aberdeen City
  421
  525
  104
  24.7

  East Lothian
  72
  89
  17
  23.6

  East Renfrewshire
  31
  30
  -1
  -3.2

  Dundee City
  306
  296
  -10
  -3.3

  Renfrewshire
  124
  115
  -9
  -7.3

  South Ayrshire
  101
  93
  -8
  -7.9

  South Lanarkshire
  193
  177
  -16
  -8.3

  Orkney Islands
  10
  9
  -1
  -10.0

  City of Edinburgh
  794
  654
  -140
  -17.6

  City of Glasgow
  1,755
  1,293
  -462
  -26.3

  Angus
  139
  97
  -42
  -30.2

  East Dunbartonshire
  47
  26
  -21
  -44.7

  Inverclyde
  127
  38
  -89
  -70.1

  All Scotland
  5,941
  6,558
  617
  10.4



  Note: 1 All group 2 crimes of indecency recorded by the police, that is total of rape and attempted rape, indecent assault, lewd and indecent behaviour and all other crimes of indecency.

  Recorded Crimes of Rape and Attempted Rape by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 
  1996-97
  2005-06
  Difference
  Difference
  (%)

  Eilean Siar (W. Isles)
  0
  4
  4
  -

  East Renfrewshire
  1
  7
  6
  600.0

  Falkirk
  5
  33
  28
  560.0

  Dumfries and Galloway
  5
  32
  27
  540.0

  Clackmannanshire
  2
  10
  8
  400.0

  Fife
  22
  101
  79
  359.1

  Moray
  8
  33
  25
  312.5

  West Lothian
  15
  48
  33
  220.0

  East Lothian
  9
  26
  17
  188.9

  Stirling
  11
  27
  16
  145.5

  Perth and Kinross
  12
  29
  17
  141.7

  Midlothian
  10
  24
  14
  140.0

  Highland
  20
  47
  27
  135.0

  North Lanarkshire
  24
  54
  30
  125.0

  East Ayrshire
  9
  20
  11
  122.2

  North Ayrshire
  18
  36
  18
  100.0

  Orkney Islands
  2
  4
  2
  100.0

  Renfrewshire
  10
  19
  9
  90.0

  South Lanarkshire
  22
  40
  18
  81.8

  South Ayrshire
  12
  21
  9
  75.0

  Aberdeenshire
  22
  37
  15
  68.2

  City of Glasgow
  108
  175
  67
  62.0

  Angus
  18
  26
  8
  44.4

  Argyll and Bute
  9
  13
  4
  44.4

  Scottish Borders
  18
  26
  8
  44.4

  Aberdeen City
  39
  56
  17
  43.6

  City of Edinburgh
  108
  137
  29
  26.9

  Shetland Islands
  1
  1
  0
  0.0

  West Dunbartonshire
  11
  11
  0
  0.0

  Dundee City
  57
  51
  -6
  -10.5

  Inverclyde
  17
  9
  -8
  -47.1

  East Dunbartonshire
  8
  4
  -4
  -50.0

  All Scotland
  633
  1,161
  528
  83.4



  Recorded Crimes of Indecent Assault by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 
  1996-97
  2005-06
  Difference
  Difference
  (%)

  East Dunbartonshire
  5
  14
  9
  180.0

  Clackmannanshire
  10
  26
  16
  160.0

  Moray
  18
  46
  28
  155.6

  West Dunbartonshire
  12
  27
  15
  125.0

  West Lothian
  19
  42
  23
  121.1

  Fife
  55
  120
  65
  118.2

  East Ayrshire
  12
  26
  14
  116.7

  Falkirk
  20
  42
  22
  110.0

  Shetland Islands
  4
  8
  4
  100.0

  Aberdeenshire
  21
  40
  19
  90.5

  North Ayrshire
  28
  49
  21
  75.0

  Stirling
  18
  31
  13
  72.2

  Highland
  32
  55
  23
  71.9

  South Ayrshire
  16
  27
  11
  68.8

  Argyll and Bute
  19
  32
  13
  68.4

  Eilean Siar (W. Isles)
  3
  5
  2
  66.7

  North Lanarkshire
  51
  70
  19
  37.3

  City of Glasgow
  206
  278
  72
  35.0

  Scottish Borders
  20
  26
  6
  30.0

  East Lothian
  17
  22
  5
  29.4

  Perth and Kinross
  32
  38
  6
  18.8

  Dundee City
  58
  68
  10
  17.2

  Renfrewshire
  34
  38
  4
  11.8

  Aberdeen City
  80
  88
  8
  10.0

  Dumfries and Galloway
  12
  13
  1
  8.3

  South Lanarkshire
  53
  53
  0
  0.0

  City of Edinburgh
  176
  163
  -13
  -7.4

  Angus
  24
  22
  -2
  -8.3

  Midlothian
  27
  22
  -5
  -18.5

  East Renfrewshire
  9
  6
  -3
  -33.3

  Orkney Islands
  2
  1
  -1
  -50.0

  Inverclyde
  29
  10
  -19
  -65.5

  All Scotland
  1,122
  1,508
  386
  34.4



  Recorded Crimes of Lewd and Indecent Behaviour by Local Authority,

  1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 
  1996-97
  2005-06
  Difference
  Difference
  (%)

  Eilean Siar (W. Isles)
  2
  20
  18
  900.0

  Dumfries and Galloway
  15
  83
  68
  453.3

  Clackmannanshire
  9
  39
  30
  333.3

  Midlothian
  25
  83
  58
  232.0

  Falkirk
  47
  106
  59
  125.5

  Stirling
  30
  67
  37
  123.3

  Perth and Kinross
  23
  50
  27
  117.4

  Shetland Islands
  8
  17
  9
  112.5

  Argyll and Bute
  20
  41
  21
  105.0

  Aberdeen City
  94
  177
  83
  88.3

  Moray
  49
  90
  41
  83.7

  Fife
  134
  220
  86
  64.2

  Highland
  71
  113
  42
  59.2

  Scottish Borders
  37
  48
  11
  29.7

  Aberdeenshire
  102
  129
  27
  26.5

  North Ayrshire
  85
  98
  13
  15.3

  North Lanarkshire
  113
  130
  17
  15.0

  East Ayrshire
  49
  48
  -1
  -2.0

  West Lothian
  87
  80
  -7
  -8.0

  East Lothian
  39
  35
  -4
  -10.3

  East Renfrewshire
  18
  15
  -3
  -16.7

  City of Glasgow
  401
  329
  -72
  -18.0

  South Ayrshire
  46
  37
  -9
  -19.6

  West Dunbartonshire
  39
  31
  -8
  -20.5

  Dundee City
  159
  126
  -33
  -20.8

  South Lanarkshire
  106
  75
  -31
  -29.2

  Renfrewshire
  72
  46
  -26
  -36.1

  City of Edinburgh
  425
  253
  -172
  -40.5

  Angus
  82
  41
  -41
  -50.0

  East Dunbartonshire
  25
  6
  -19
  -76.0

  Inverclyde
  75
  17
  -58
  -77.3

  Orkney Islands
  6
  1
  -5
  -83.3

  All Scotland
  2,493
  2,651
  158
  6.3

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31895 by Cathy Jamieson on 2 March 2007, whether it will list the 10 local authority areas with the (a) biggest and (b) smallest (i) reductions and (ii) increases in the number of (A) crimes against public justice, (B) crimes of handling an offensive weapon and (C) drug-related crimes since 1996-97.

Cathy Jamieson: The requested information is shown in the following tables. "Drug-related crime" has been taken to mean specifically drug crimes (possession, supply, manufacture or trafficking).

  Recorded Crimes Against Public Justice by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 
  1996-97
  2005-06
  Difference
  % Difference

  Scottish Borders
  117
  401
  284
  242.7

  Moray
  150
  451
  301
  200.7

  Clackmannanshire
  138
  371
  233
  168.8

  City of Edinburgh
  1,047
  2,457
  1,410
  134.7

  Fife
  740
  1,693
  953
  128.8

  Stirling
  256
  582
  326
  127.3

  Eilean Siar (W. Isles)
  39
  84
  45
  115.4

  Perth and Kinross
  323
  677
  354
  109.6

  West Lothian
  283
  590
  307
  108.5

  North Lanarkshire
  920
  1,868
  948
  103.0

  West Dunbartonshire
  352
  695
  343
  97.4

  Inverclyde
  231
  444
  213
  92.2

  Dumfries and Galloway
  469
  899
  430
  91.7

  Midlothian
  189
  341
  152
  80.4

  Dundee City
  762
  1,360
  598
  78.5

  Falkirk
  507
  863
  356
  70.2

  South Lanarkshire
  880
  1,495
  615
  69.9

  East Lothian
  121
  204
  83
  68.6

  East Ayrshire
  299
  494
  195
  65.2

  North Ayrshire
  407
  638
  231
  56.8

  Argyll and Bute
  273
  412
  139
  50.9

  Renfrewshire
  494
  734
  240
  48.6

  Angus
  329
  483
  154
  46.8

  Highland
  705
  1,019
  314
  44.5

  City of Glasgow
  4,437
  6,072
  1,635
  36.8

  Aberdeenshire
  384
  508
  124
  32.3

  South Ayrshire
  307
  394
  87
  28.3

  Aberdeen City
  764
  969
  205
  26.8

  East Renfrewshire
  153
  191
  38
  24.8

  East Dunbartonshire
  165
  203
  38
  23.0

  Orkney Islands
  29
  35
  6
  20.7

  Shetland Islands
  50
  41
  -9
  -18.0

  All Scotland
  16,320
  27,668
  11,348
  69.5



  The category of "crimes against public justice" includes breaches of conditions of bail. The increase in this category partially reflects an increase in the granting (and enforcement of) additional bail conditions in order to provide safeguards over and above the standard bail conditions (for example: exclusions from an area/address in domestic abuse cases, curfew orders and electronic monitoring as a condition of bail). The number of these crimes has been increasing steadily over the last eight years.

  Recorded Crimes of Handling Offensive Weapons by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 
  1996-97
  2005-06
  Difference
  % Difference

  Moray
  45
  110
  65
  144.4

  Scottish Borders
  45
  103
  58
  128.9

  Shetland Islands
  9
  19
  10
  111.1

  Aberdeen City
  151
  309
  158
  104.6

  Clackmannanshire
  44
  89
  45
  102.3

  City of Edinburgh
  399
  748
  349
  87.5

  West Dunbartonshire
  173
  324
  151
  87.3

  Inverclyde
  133
  247
  114
  85.7

  Midlothian
  59
  106
  47
  79.7

  South Lanarkshire
  334
  586
  252
  75.4

  North Ayrshire
  199
  345
  146
  73.4

  North Lanarkshire
  387
  669
  282
  72.9

  City of Glasgow
  1,811
  3,112
  1,301
  71.8

  Highland
  171
  282
  111
  64.9

  West Lothian
  114
  187
  73
  64.0

  East Dunbartonshire
  85
  129
  44
  51.8

  East Ayrshire
  166
  240
  74
  44.6

  Renfrewshire
  286
  401
  115
  40.2

  Stirling
  90
  125
  35
  38.9

  Aberdeenshire
  127
  169
  42
  33.1

  East Lothian
  52
  66
  14
  26.9

  Orkney Islands
  8
  10
  2
  25.0

  Argyll and Bute
  84
  103
  19
  22.6

  Eilean Siar (W. Isles)
  16
  19
  3
  18.8

  Falkirk
  152
  164
  12
  7.9

  South Ayrshire
  142
  145
  3
  2.1

  Fife
  305
  273
  -32
  -10.5

  East Renfrewshire
  85
  76
  -9
  -10.6

  Dumfries and Galloway
  170
  137
  -33
  -19.4

  Angus
  118
  74
  -44
  -37.3

  Dundee City
  347
  186
  -161
  -46.4

  Perth and Kinross
  206
  75
  -131
  -63.6

  All Scotland
  6,513
  9,628
  3,115
  47.8



  Recorded Drug Crimes by Local Authority, 1996-97 and 2005-06

  
 
  1996-97
  2005-06
  Difference
  % Difference

  Eilean Siar (W. Isles)
  74
  230
  156
  210.8

  South Lanarkshire
  1,000
  2,589
  1,589
  158.9

  Dundee City
  678
  1,582
  904
  133.3

  Shetland Islands
  49
  113
  64
  130.6

  East Lothian
  154
  347
  193
  125.3

  East Ayrshire
  482
  1,065
  583
  121.0

  North Ayrshire
  632
  1,361
  729
  115.3

  East Dunbartonshire
  187
  399
  212
  113.4

  Perth and Kinross
  505
  1,063
  558
  110.5

  Falkirk
  489
  1,016
  527
  107.8

  Scottish Borders
  390
  806
  416
  106.7

  Argyll and Bute
  336
  655
  319
  94.9

  North Lanarkshire
  1,616
  3,067
  1,451
  89.8

  Stirling
  334
  629
  295
  88.3

  Moray
  230
  432
  202
  87.8

  City of Edinburgh
  1,898
  3,550
  1,652
  87.0

  West Lothian
  599
  1,089
  490
  81.8

  South Ayrshire
  490
  871
  381
  77.8

  East Renfrewshire
  181
  320
  139
  76.8

  West Dunbartonshire
  638
  1,089
  451
  70.7

  City of Glasgow
  6,379
  10,741
  4,362
  68.4

  Clackmannanshire
  231
  388
  157
  68.0

  Renfrewshire
  693
  1,140
  447
  64.5

  Highland
  1,155
  1,856
  701
  60.7

  Angus
  451
  678
  227
  50.3

  Aberdeen City
  1,354
  1,992
  638
  47.1

  Inverclyde
  701
  932
  231
  33.0

  Midlothian
  317
  412
  95
  30.0

  Dumfries and Galloway
  758
  949
  191
  25.2

  Orkney Islands
  24
  30
  6
  25.0

  Fife
  1,848
  1,992
  144
  7.8

  Aberdeenshire
  881
  864
  -17
  -1.9

  All Scotland
  25,754
  44,247
  18,493
  71.8

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes were committed in each hospital in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by type of crime.

Cathy Jamieson: The recorded crime statistics are based on an aggregate return, which does not give details of individual crimes, for instance the location of a crime.

Culture

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the source of funding is for the £500,000 Scottish Music Futures Fund and whether the funding is new money or existing money diverted from (a) the creative industries budget or (b) another budget.

Nicol Stephen: The funding will be from the Enterprise budget for 2007-08. The funding will not be diverted from the creative industries budget within the Education portfolio.

Dental Health

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS dental patients have been newly registered in NHS Forth Valley in the last year, broken down by month.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is provided in the following table.

  Number of Newly Registered NHS Dental Patients in NHS Forth Valley; March 2006 to February 2007

  
Month
No. of Patients1,2,3,4

 March 2006
 1,996

 April 2006
 1,695

 May 2006
 1,825

 June 2006
 1,693

 July 2006
 1,321

 August 2006
 2,086

 September 2006
 2,248

 October 2006
 1,671

 November 2006
 1,478

 December 2006
 977

 January 2007
 1,223

 February 2007
 907

 Total
 19,120



  Source: MIDAS (Management Information & Dental Accounting System).

  Data extracted 20 March 2007.

  Notes:

  1. These patients were not registered with a dentist in NHS Forth Valley in the preceding 12 months.

  2. Practitioner Services Division accepts claims which will backdate registrations. More claims from recent dates are expected, so figures for recent months are expected to increase and may consequently be understated in comparison to older periods.

  3. Period examined is the 12 months from March 2006 to February 2007. This represents the most recent period of completed months.

  4. Registration records in MIDAS (Management Information & Dental Accounting System) date from October 1990.

Dental Health

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many general dental practitioners in NHS Forth Valley have (a) left and (b) joined the NHS in each of the last three years.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is provided in the following tables.

  Number of General Dental Practitioners who left NHS Forth Valley1,2,3; 2004 to 2006

  
  Year
  2004
  2005
  2006

  No. of dentists
  4
  14
  12



  Number of General Dental Practitioners who Joined NHS Forth Valley 4,5,6; 2004 to 2006

  
Year
2004
2005
2006

No. of dentists
8
13
23



  Sources: MIDAS (Management Information & Dental Accounting System); MEDMAN (Medical and Dental Manpower Census).

  Data extracted 20 March 2007.

  Notes:

  1. NHS general dental practitioners (salaried and non-salaried) who had an active list number in NHS Forth Valley at 30 September one year, and who had no active list numbers in NHS Forth Valley at 30 September of the following year.

  2. Some NHS general dental practitioners may have left NHS Forth Valley but still provide NHS general dental services elsewhere in Scotland.

  3. NHS general dental practitioners may cease providing NHS services on a temporary basis, or may move into a different NHS dental sector (i.e. community or hospital).

  4. NHS general dental practitioners (salaried and non-salaried) who had an active list number in NHS Forth Valley at 30 September one year, and who had no active list numbers in NHS Forth Valley at 30 September of the previous year.

  5. Some NHS general dental practitioners may have been providing NHS general dental services elsewhere in Scotland before they joined NHS Forth Valley as a general dental practitioner.

  6. Some NHS general dental practitioners may have been providing NHS services in a different NHS dental sector (i.e. community or hospital) before they joined NHS Forth Valley as a general dental practitioner.

Dental Health

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many general dental practitioners in NHS Forth Valley were registered to provide treatment in each of the last three years.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested can be found in table D1 (by NHS board) on the ISD Scotland website at www.isdscotland.org/number_of_dentists .

Drug Misuse

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug treatment and testing orders were (a) issued to and (b) breached by offenders aged 18 and under in each year since 2001, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information on drug treatment and testing orders imposed by Scottish courts on offenders aged 18 and under is given in the following table. Information on breaches of drug treatment and testing orders by age of offender is not included in the statistics collected centrally. Figures on the total number of breach applications by local authority area in 2004-05 and 2005-06 can be found on the Scottish Executive’s website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubSocialWork.

  Drug Treatment and Testing Orders Imposed on Persons Aged 18 and Under1, by Local Authority Area, 2001-02 to 2005-06

  
Local Authority Area2

2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06

Angus
  

-

-

4

-

-

Dumfries and Galloway
  

-

-

-

-

2

Dundee City
  

-

-

-

5

-

Edinburgh, City of
  

-

-

9

8

7

Fife
  

1

8

1

-

3

Glasgow City
  

2

-

-

-

-

Scottish Borders
  

-

-

-

-

5

Scotland
  

3

8

14

13

17



  Notes:

  1. Concurrent orders are counted separately in these statistics.

  2. Proxied by location of court imposing the order.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered drug misusers there were in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) NHS board area, also expressed as a ratio to the population.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answers to questions S2W-18148 on 18 August 2005, S2W-27311 on 8 August 2006 and S2W-28609 on 5 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Economy

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the local economic output of Stirling was in each of the last three years for which figures are available, also showing annual percentage changes.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive does not estimate economic output for particular geographic areas. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish regional Gross Value Added (GVA) figures, which are the recognised method for measuring economic output, for all Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics level 3 (NUTS3) areas in the UK. Further information is available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14650 .

  The following table shows the latest available GVA figures for the NUTS3 area of Perth and Kinross and Stirling for 2002 to 2004, including annual percentage changes.

  Headline1 Gross Value Added (GVA)2 for Perth and Kinross and Stirling NUTS3 Area at Current Basic Prices, 2002 to 2004

  
GVA (£ Million)
  
% Change3

2002
  
2003
2004
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


2,798


2,986

3,168

6.1%

6.7%

6.1%



  Notes:

  1. The headline GVA series for this publication have been calculated using a five-period moving average.

  2. Estimates of workplace based GVA allocate income to the region in which commuters work.

  3. Estimates of annual percentage change relate to current price GVA and are therefore not equivalent to basic price economic growth measures such as quarterly GDP estimates.

  GVA data are not produced below NUTS 3 level.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many awards of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) were made in Stirling in 2005-06, also showing the total amount paid.

Nicol Stephen: In academic year 2005-06, a total of 440 school and college students in Stirling received an EMA payment (370 school students and 70 college students). The total amount paid to school students within Stirling was £324,250. This relates to all weekly and bonus EMA payments made to these students. Information on the amounts paid to college students from Stirling is not currently available.

Employment

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the economic impact of the decision by HM Revenue and Customs to transfer all the functions and 200 jobs from its National Compliance Risk offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh to England.

Nicol Stephen: The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) change programme which includes major business restructuring and a review of all of its accommodations is primarily a matter for Her Majesty’s Government. No detailed discussions have taken place with the UK Government to date. However, I understand that no decisions have yet been made in relation to the long-term location of National Compliance Risk work and no Risk posts will be moved from current locations until the regional accommodation review process has been completed.

  Other work may move to Scotland as business streams reorganise. HMRC have already moved 142 posts to Scotland under the Government relocation programme and may move further posts as their planning work develops. It is therefore too early to speculate on the impact in Scotland of any possible job losses.

  As we have previously noted, we will take account of potential job losses within the context of future relocation decisions.

Employment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of employed adults in Stirling worked from home in each of the last three years.

Nicol Stephen: Table 1 shows the percentage of adults in employment who work from home in their main job in Stirling for the last three years for which data are available.

  Table 1 Percentage of people working from home in Stirling, 2003-05

  
 

Working from Home


2003

12.3%


2004

12.6%


2005

12.6%



  Source:

  2004 and 2005 Data from Annual Population Survey.

  2003 Data from Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

  Notes:

  1. Working from home is defined as those who work in their own home, in the same grounds or buildings as home or in different places using home as a base.

  2. Proportions are based on unrounded data.

Employment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the claimant count (a) number and (b) unemployment rate have been in each ward of Stirling Council in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Nicol Stephen: The Claimant Count gives the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits and is produced by the Office of National Statistics.

  Table 1 shows the claimant count number and the claimant count rate for each ward in Stirling in February 2007.

  Please note that the rates are calculated using the resident working age population.

  Table 1 Claimant Count Unemployment for Wards in Stirling, February 2007

  
  Stirling Wards
  Number
  Rate

  Argyll
  68
  2.7

  Bannockburn East
  35
  1.5

  Bannockburn West
  63
  2.5

  Blane Valley
  19
  0.7

  Borestone
  72
  3.7

  Bridge of Allan
  22
  0.9

  Broomridge
  68
  2.9

  Campsies
  25
  1.1

  Dunblane East
  26
  1.0

  Dunblane West
  32
  1.3

  Highland
  44
  2.0

  King’s Park and Cambusbarron
  32
  1.4

  Logie
  3
  0.1

  Polmaise
  74
  2.5

  Raploch
  120
  5.0

  Sauchenford
  77
  2.8

  Strathendrick
  33
  1.4

  Teith
  25
  1.1

  Torbrex
  34
  1.5

  Town Centre
  98
  3.5

  Trossachs
  40
  1.6

  Wallace
  64
  2.4

  Total
  1,074
  2.0



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  1. Data are numbers of people claiming unemployment related benefits.

  2. Proportions for wards are calculated using the mid-2001 resident working age population.

Employment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were in employment in Stirling in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: Estimates of employment are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Table 1 shows estimates of the level of employment of people ages 16 and over in Stirling.

  The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to some sampling error.

  Table 1 – Employment Levels in Stirling, 1999-2006

  
 

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006


Employment Level

38,000

33,000

36,000

35,000

37,000

44,000

38,000

35,000



  Source: Labour Force Survey, spring quarter.

  Note: 1. Estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Employment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs there were in each standard industrial sector in Stirling in each of the last three years, also shown as a percentage of all jobs in Stirling.

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the numbers and overall percentages in employment were in Stirling in (a) construction, (b) manufacturing, (c) retail and catering, (d) distribution, hotels and restaurants, (e) business and financial services, (f) transport and communications, (g) finance, IT and other business activities, (h) public administration, education and health and (i) tourism and other services in each of the last three years.

Nicol Stephen: Table 1 shows the number of employee jobs in Stirling by standard industry sector for the last three years for which figures are available.

  Table 1: Employee Jobs by Industry Sector – Stirling

  
 
  Levels
  Proportion of Total


 
  2003
  2004
  2005
  2003
  2004
  2005

  Construction
  2,800
  2,400
  2,500
  6.83%
  5.58%
  5.56%

  Manufacturing
  2,100
  2,600
  2,700
  5.22%
  6.08%
  6.11%

  Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods
  8,500
  8,700
  7,700
  20.72%
  20.34%
  17.28%

  Hotels and restaurants
  3,100
  3,700
  4,000
  7.49%
  8.74%
  8.86%

  Financial intermediation
  3,300
  3,300
  2,400
  8.15%
  7.62%
  5.44%

  Real estate, renting and business activities
  3,800
  4,500
  5,600
  9.40%
  10.43%
  12.58%

  Transport, storage and communication
  1,500
  1,400
  1,400
  3.70%
  3.24%
  3.19%

  Public administration and defence; compulsory social security
  2,800
  3,800
  4,400
  6.87%
  8.93%
  9.91%

  Education
  4,300
  4,100
  5,200
  10.50%
  9.57%
  11.60%

  Health and social work
  5,700
  5,200
  5,700
  14.02%
  12.25%
  12.62%

  Other 
  2,900
  3,100
  3,100
  7.10%
  7.24%
  6.83%

  Total
  40,900
  42,800
  44,800
  100.00%
  100.00%
  100.00%



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry.

  Notes:

  1. Catering sector is included in H: hotels and restaurants.

  2. Distribution sector is included in I: transport, storage and communications.

  3. Finance, IT and other business activities are included in J: financial services and K: Real estate, renting and business activities

  4. Other includes A: agriculture, hunting and forestry; B: fishing; C: mining and quarrying; E: electricity, gas and water supply and O: other community, social and personal service activities.

  5. The figures for construction will be underestimated due to the high level of self employment in this industry and that the self employed are excluded from the Annual Business Inquiry.

  6. 2002 figures are based on SIC 1992 codes and 2003-04 figures are based on SIC 2003 codes. This may lead to a discontinuity in levels.

  7. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

  8. The total may not equal the sum of the individual components due to rounding.

Employment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals were self-employed in Stirling in each of the last three years, expressed also as a percentage of the total number in employment.

Nicol Stephen: Table 1 shows the number of self employed individuals in Stirling for the last three years for which figures are available.

  Table 1: Level of Self-Employed – Stirling

  
 

Levels

Proportion of Total Employed


2003

2004

2005

2003

2004

2005


Self-Employed

5,000

6,000

6,000

12.8%

13.8%

13.8%



  Source: Annual Population Survey 2004 and 2005 and Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003.

  Notes:

  1. Figures have been rounded to nearest thousand.

  2. Proportions are based on unrounded figures.

  3. Data for 2003 is based on a seasonal year (March to February). Data 2005 and 2004 is based on a calendar year.

Enterprise

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how much First Choice Holidays received in public funding support; how many jobs were (a) promised and (b) created, and how much funding has been clawed back.

Nicol Stephen: In 1999, First Choice Retail Ltd accepted a Regional Selective Assistance offer of £250,000 for a project which aimed to create 183 jobs and safeguard five. All of the grant was paid. When the final instalment was made the company had created 165 jobs, safeguarded a further five and also had made offers of employment to a further 16. The company did not fully meet its obligations under the terms of the grant agreement. However, in view of the length of time jobs had been in place and the low grant paid per job, no grant was recovered.

  In addition, the company were given £292,186 from Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire. Conditions applied to the assistance are an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire.

Enterprise

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance can be given to companies in the Stirling parliamentary constituency to boost their businesses through the worldwide web.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for Scottish Enterprise who have responsibility for providing a range of e-business assistance measures across their area.

  All companies can access ICT advice through the Scottish Enterprise and Business Gateway websites, while one-to-one advice and financial assistance for ICT services is also offered to companies where appropriate.

Enterprise

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes and improvements to regulation have resulted from the work of the Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit.

Nicol Stephen: The Improving Regulation Unit is closely involved in the development of all policies affecting business within the Executive. The unit is in regular contact with business representative organisations to hear about their regulatory concerns – which are then pursued in all parts of government. In addition, we have established an industry-led regulatory group chaired by a CBI Scotland representative and including all the major business organisations in Scotland to help the unit drive the better regulation agenda forward.

  The Improving Regulation Unit’s Annual Report is available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/15242/2ndannualreport.

  This sets out the changes and improvements to regulation in Scotland resulting from the unit’s work.

Enterprise

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many VAT registered businesses there were in Stirling in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by sector.

Nicol Stephen: Data on the stock of VAT registered enterprises is released annually by the Small Business Service, an agency of the Department for Trade and Industry.

  These figures do not account for all business activity as only companies with a turnover above the VAT threshold are required to register.

  The following table shows the number of VAT registered enterprises in the Stirling local authority area in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by broad industry sector.

  Number of VAT Registered Enterprises in Stirling Local Authority are (2004-06)

  
Sector

2004
2005
2006

Agriculture and forestry; Fishing


450

450

440

Mining and quarrying; Electricity, gas and water supply


5

5

5

Manufacturing


155

155

155

Construction


320

330

330

Wholesale, retail and repairs


575

580

575

Hotels and restaurants


275

265

295

Transport, storage and communication


120

120

125

Financial intermediation


45

45

45

Real estate, renting and business activities


755

805

835

Public administration; Other community, social and personal services


230

220

220

Education; Health and social work


40

40

45

Total


2975

3015

3060



  Source: Small Business Service, DTI.

Graveyards

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any proposals to change cemetery preservation practice and, if so, whether it will give details of any such proposals including their status and timescale, to what extent family history, local history and other relevant organisations will be consulted and whether there are any proposals that may lead to the destruction of cemeteries and burial grounds.

Patricia Ferguson: There are no Scottish Executive proposals to change cemetery preservation practice. However, the Burial and Cremation Review Group, which is reviewing the various Burial Ground and Cremation Acts and Regulations in Scotland, is currently preparing its recommendations. The group and Historic Scotland are in discussions to ensure that the historic aspects of graveyards are recognised and taken into account. Many burial grounds are scheduled ancient monuments; others are listed buildings, included either in the listing of churches or in their own right. Some local authorities may decide independently to adopt preservation practices to raise standards of repair and maintenance.

Health

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes to policy and practice have resulted from the findings of the research report, Transport Impacts of Major Health Care Developments , published in 2002.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive planning policy now requires all development applications to include transport assessment and implementation proposals, a requirement which was based on substantial research carried out by the Scottish Executive in the period 2001-04, of which the Transport Impacts of Major Healthcare Developments report was a part.

  The Scottish Executive expects each individual hospital to work in partnerships with local authorities and regional transport partnerships to encourage better public transport access to hospitals. We have provided health boards with a clear statement on environmental management policy, making it a mandatory requirement for health boards to promote more sustainable travel choices through the implementation of travel plans.

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have broken the terms of their bail conditions in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table. The figures for bail offences exclude reoffending on bail. To provide context, the table also gives figures on the total number of bail offences with a charge proved expressed as a percentage of the number of bail orders granted in each year. Although this is not strictly a like with like comparison, for example, due to different counting bases and reference periods, it does show that this proportion has remained largely static in recent years.

  Bail Offences1 with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts, 2001-02 to 2005-06

  

Police Force

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06


Central 

421

560

500

686

557


Dumfries and Galloway

101

71

106

111

101


Fife 

196

171

222

209

192


Grampian 

561

614

585

520

476


Lothian and Borders 

735

563

507

629

764


Northern 

124

181

169

222

241


Strathclyde 

2,394

2,452

2,487

2,689

2,564


Tayside 

913

922

1,264

1,029

872


Scotland

5,445

5,534

5,840

6,096

5,768


Number of bail orders granted across Scotland

39,959

47,270

50,718

53,438

56,913


Bail offences1 with a charge proved expressed as a % of bail orders granted

14

12

12

11

10



  Note: 1. Excludes reoffending while on bail.

Justice

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with the UK Steering Group on Less Lethal Weapons and how its Justice Department is represented on this group.

Cathy Jamieson: Scottish policing interests on the UK Steering Group on Less Lethal Weapons are represented by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.

Justice

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions in the last 20 years the Crown Office has considered prosecutions for war crimes and on how many of these occasions charges were (a) made and (b) not made.

Elish Angiolini QC: Allegations that persons living in Scotland were responsible for war crimes committed during the Second World War were investigated by a specialised Crown Office unit formed in 1991. The results of those investigations were reported to Crown Counsel, who decided in 1994 that there was insufficient available evidence for a criminal prosecution against any persons.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue its formal response to the Justice 1 Committee’s 3rd Report 2007: Inquiry into the Scottish Criminal Record Office and Scottish Fingerprint Service .

Cathy Jamieson: I provided the Justice 1 Committee with the Executive’s formal response to this report on 23 March.

Justice

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the method of allocating resources under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Johann Lamont: We have no current plans to review this.

Libraries

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the net expenditure on public libraries was in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority and also expressed on a per capita basis.

Patricia Ferguson: The information requested is not held by the Executive, but I understand that it is available from the Scottish Library and Information Council.

Life Expectancy

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest available figures on life expectancy are in Stirling.

George Lyon: Life expectancy figures are normally calculated for a three year period to provide large enough numbers to ensure accuracy. The latest figures for Stirling Council area, which relate to the period 2003-05 are available at:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/library/life-expectancy/le2003-05/list-of-ables.html.

Maternity Services

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards offer routine 20-week foetal anomaly scans as provided for under NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) guidelines set in 2004.

Lewis Macdonald: The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland publication National Overview January 2007 Maternity Services  reported that following their review of their Clinical Standards for Maternity Services (carried out between November 2005 and June 2006), 10 out of the then 15 NHS boards routinely carried out fetal anomaly scans at 18 22 weeks. Those NHS boards were: NHS Argyll and Clyde, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Grampian, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland, NHS Tayside and NHS Western Isles.

Maternity Services

Department..Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to providing one midwife per mother throughout labour.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is committed to constantly improving care provision, and the Framework for Maternity Services and Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services (EGAMS) set out clear ways for this to be achieved. The Scottish Executive fully endorses the Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) standard that each woman receives one-to one midwifery care during established labour and childbirth by a trained midwife, or trainee midwife under supervision.

Maternity Services

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it has put in place to improve care during pregnancy and post-natal care.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is committed to constantly improving maternity care provision, working to the principles of the Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland and the report of the Expert Group on Maternity Services in Scotland, as well as the adoption of initiatives such as UNICEFs Baby Friendly Initiative in NHS hospitals.

  We have worked closely with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to set standards for maternity services, and a recent audit of these services reported that services in Scotland are delivering high quality care before, during and after pregnancy.

Mortality

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many stroke-related deaths there were in Stirling in each of the last 10 years, expressed also as a standardised rate for those aged under 75 per 100,000 population.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the following table.

  Deaths from Strokes (Cerebrovascular Disease)1, Stirling Council Area, 1996-2005

  
 
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

All ages
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 - number
142
130
109
131
113
146
120
113
105
106

Aged under 75
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 - number
29
22
24
23
22
33
29
20
14
19

 - age-standardised death rate per 100,000 population
32.2
23.1
25.1
23.9
23.3
34.1
29.0
20.4
13.6
18.1



  Note: 1. 1 1996-1999, ICD9 codes 430-438; 2000-2005, ICD10 codes I60-I69.

NHS Expenditure

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it determined the amount of funding for wheelchairs and wheelchair users announced on 16 March 2007 and whether it considers that 1 million is sufficient.

Lewis Macdonald: The further 1 million interim funding announced on 16 March 2007 is to allow the service in the short term to build on the improvements already made in reducing waiting times as a result of the additional 1.9 million interim funding in 2005-06. It is expected that the Spending Review, which will take place later this year, will consider what increased resources might be made available to address the recommendations from the independent review of wheelchair and seating services in relation to the longer term needs of those services.

  The Executives response to the review emphasises the need for boards also to address the recommendations at local level.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much VAT was paid by non-departmental bodies in each of the last eight years, also broken down by body.

Mr Tom McCabe: The information requested is not held centrally. Payment of VAT by non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is an operational matter for individual bodies to consider. Contact details for all NDPBs are contained in the Directory of Scottish Public Bodies featured on the Public Bodies and Appointments website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/directory.

People with Disabilities

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many disabled adults there are in Stirling, also expressed as a percentage of the local adult population.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not available centrally.

Police

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many frontline police officers there are in each force and how many there have been in each of the last five years, expressed also on a per capita basis.

Cathy Jamieson: Over the past five years the number of police officers in Scotland has risen by 1,235 to 16,230 with support staff rising by 1,910 to 7,392.

  Information on the deployment of officers to particular duties is not held centrally and is an operational matter for individual chief constables.

Police

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered, or is considering, the extension of taser use and whether it has been asked by any organisations in Scotland to consider extending the use of tasers.

Cathy Jamieson: No. The circumstances and extent to which tasers are deployed are matters for Chief Constables. The current position of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is that tasers will not be routinely deployed and will only be issued to authorised firearms officers.

Population

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average ages of mothers were for all births in Stirling in (a) 2005, (b) 1995 and (c) 1985.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the following table.

  Average Age of Mothers, All Live Births, Stirling Council Area

  
1985
1995
2005

26.9
29.0
30.8

Population

r Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest available annual information is on the average age of (a) the population of Stirling and (b) those who have migrated to the city.

George Lyon: The latest information, based on the 2005 mid-year population estimate for Stirling Council area, shows the average age of (a) the population to be 39.4 years and (b) those who have migrated there to be 27.6 years.

Prescription Charges

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to including primary biliary cirrhosis on the list of conditions exempt from NHS prescription charges.

Lewis Macdonald: The findings of the Scottish Executives review of NHS prescription charges are being given careful consideration. A report containing an analysis of the public consultation carried out in connection with the review was published on the Scottish Executive website on Tuesday 20 March 2007. Further details can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2007/03/19093547/0 .

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of sex offenders in prisons attended the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in each of the last five years.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Improvements made in the SPS PR2 prisoner records system provide accurate information on recorded sex offenders over the last two years. Based on this information the population of sex offenders in prisons who attended sex offenders treatment programmes are:

  
 

2004-05

2005-06


Total number of Sex Offenders in prison

755

896


Total number of Sex Offenders that completed STOP programmes 

60

76


Proportion (%) of Sex Offenders that completed STOP programme during the year

7.9%

8.5%



  Numbers of prisoners entering programmes annually are limited by factors such as sentence length and willingness to change on the part of individual offenders.

  Sex offenders also need to undertake STOP programmes at the right stage in their sentence, therefore some may have already completed a STOP programme in previous years either during their current sentence or during previous sentences. Some offenders may also have undertaken Core STOP and been subsequently assessed as requiring to participate in further STOP programmes such as Extended STOP to address their offending behaviour. Some may also require access to other interventions such as mental health support in advance of participation.

Public Transport

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local bus passenger journeys there were in Stirling in each of the last five years.

Tavish Scott: Bus patronage figures are only available at national, regional and Regional Transport Partnership area level. This information is included in the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin, Transport Series, Bus and Coach Statistics: 2005-06 which was published on 19 March 2007 and can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/19093208/0 .

Rail Network

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assurance can be given that maintenance by Network Rail on the Dundee to Edinburgh railway line is adequate, following delays due to signal failure in the Falkirk area during the rush hour on 6 February 2007.

Tavish Scott: Maintenance of the railway is an operational matter for Network Rail, who are funded by Scottish ministers under the terms of the Railways Act 2005. The GB rail network is maintained in accordance with Network Rail’s maintenance management plan to industry targets as regulated by the Office of Rail Regulation.

  Transport Scotland analyse and discuss performance of the rail network in Scotland with Network Rail. These discussions include infrastructure failure, and provide assurances to Scottish ministers of Network Rail’s continued vigilance regarding operation and safety in Scotland.

  Despite the disappointing delays in the Falkirk area on 6 February 2007, latest published figures show Network Rail delays on the Aberdeen to Edinburgh line were 32% better than 2005. In addition, Network Rail’s delays across the Scottish network are 23% better than 2005 reflecting the £40 million spent in track enhancements in Scotland over the period.

Rail Network

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to intervene should premium fares be introduced on the Edinburgh airport rail link.

Tavish Scott: No decision on fares for EARL has been taken yet. We have set out our plans to review fares across Scotland during 2007. That review will take into account the views expressed in Parliament when discussing the EARL project on the appropriate level of fares for the new services.

Rail Services

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with train operators about removing saver tickets or varying the times of their application.

Tavish Scott: We have no plans to change the regulation of Saver fares in Scotland. Both Transport Scotland and First ScotRail are being kept informed of discussions between the Department for Transport and train operators about potential changes to saver regulation in England. The Department for Transport is also aware of Scottish Ministers’ objective to increase the proportion of journeys between Scotland and England made by rail.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide financial assistance to the Highland Council to progress work in relation to the proposed Inverness trunk link route and, if so, what the amount will be of such assistance and for what purpose and in which financial years it will be provided.

Tavish Scott: Highland Council is currently taking forward the Inverness South Connectivity Study which is a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidelines appraisal of the transport options for transport connectivity in the transport system around the south of Inverness. An official from Transport Scotland is on the working group to represent trunk road interests in relation to the connections between the Inverness Southern Distributor Road and the existing trunk road network.

  Once the work on the options is completed this will be available to feed into the Strategic Transport Projects Review which is on-going and is due for completion in the summer 2008.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the costs of the proposed Inverness trunk link route will be met by (a) it and (b) the Highland Council and others.

Tavish Scott: Highland Council is currently taking forward the Inverness South Connectivity Study which is a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidelines appraisal of the transport options for transport connectivity in the transport system around the South of Inverness.

  The study will be available to feed into the Strategic Transport Projects Review that will determine the future programme for transport investment.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what investment is planned for major improvements to the A96 in each year to 2012.

Tavish Scott: Planned expenditure on the A96 during this period may be found on the Transport Scotland website at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=20 .

  In addition, we are currently undertaking a design study for a dual carriageway improvement of the A96 between Inverness and Inverness Airport. We have also invested in a major multi-modal transport corridor study between Aberdeen and Inverness to provide the evidence to guide future investment priorities for this route.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements will be made to the (a) A9, (b) A96, (c) A82, (d) A95 and (e) A86 in each of the next four years, listing the name or brief details of each scheme and its estimated cost.

Tavish Scott: Planned expenditure on the A9, A96, A82, A95 and A96 in each of the next four years may be found on the Transport Scotland website at:

  http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=20.

  In addition to the schemes listed in the website a new western bypass of Crianlarich on the A82 is being planned for a construction start in 2009-10 at an estimated cost of £5.3 million and an improvement to remove a bottleneck at Pulpit Rock on the A82 at Loch Lomond is being planned for a construction start in 2010-11 at an estimated cost of £8.4 million.

  Three major maintenance schemes with road improvements are being planned on the A9 at Slochd, Moy and Carrbridge and will include additional overtaking lanes which will be 3.5km, 1.3km, and 1.7km long respectively.

  In addition to the schemes which are currently being taken forward to construction, we are currently undertaking two studies on the A9. The A9 Route Improvement Strategy is considering the need to upgrade the A9 north of Perth and at Berriedale Braes there is an investigation into interim and long term options for improving poor geometry at this location. Information about studies on the A96 can be found in my reply to question S2W-32421 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  All start and completion dates are subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures.

  In addition the Strategic Transport Projects Review will consider these routes as part of the on-going work towards the next phase of major transport infrastructure investment.

Roads

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will allocate to bring non-trunk roads up to acceptable standards and when it will allocate such funding.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive supports local authorities’ net revenue expenditure on roads maintenance through the core local government finance settlement. Spending Review 2004 added a further £60 million in both 2006-07 and 2007-08 to the Roads and Transport Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) allocations, the majority of which was added to the roads maintenance GAEs. Total GAE for roads maintenance will amount to £320 million by 2007-08 and this represents an increase of 23% on the 2004-05 allocation to local authorities. Each council is responsible for the maintenance and improvement of local roads in its area and it is entirely a matter for councils to decide what priority is given to local roads and to allocate the resources available to them accordingly.

  We will consider COSLA’s submission in respect of the 2007 Spending Review including any points on local roads maintenance at the appropriate time.

Royal Highland Showground

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which ministers will be involved in decisions about who is liable for financial contributions and the amount of contributions to be made in respect of the cost of the relocation of the Royal Highland Showground.

Tavish Scott: Funding the cost of this relocation is a matter for negotiation between the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) and BAA.

Scottish Executive

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which of its agencies are currently undergoing a formal performance review and which will be subject to such a review within the next 12 months.

Mr Tom McCabe: Performance review arrangements for Executive agencies are focused on ensuring delivery of specific outputs within the framework of accountability to Ministers as detailed in the agencies framework document. Individual targets and performance indicators are set out in corporate and or/business plans and are kept under review by relevant Scottish Executive departments, at least on an annual basis.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding remains undistributed from the fund earmarked for Scottish Bus Group pensioners; whether further payments will be made and, if so, when and how much, and whether payment of equal shares will be made to the widows or widowers of members of the pension scheme.

Tavish Scott: There is £158,000 remaining from the £126 million surplus which arose from the Scottish Transport Group pension funds. This sum has been reserved for distribution to identified eligible former pension scheme members and claims continue to be made. There are no other funds to distribute and no further payments will be made. Widows and widowers have received 100% of their entitlement under the pension scheme rules and therefore will not receive any additional payments.

Small Businesses

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) grocery, (b) butcher, (c) baker, (d) fishmonger, (e) newsagent, (f) confectionery and (g) tobacco retail outlets there were in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006 and how many such wholesalers there were in each year.

Nicol Stephen: The number of retail outlets in Scotland was as follows (separate figures are not available for newsagents and confectionery):

  
 
Business Activity
Number of Business Sites

2005
2006


(a)
Retail sale of fruit and vegetables
550
480


(b)
Retail sale of meat and meat products
845
795


(c) 
Retail sale of bread, cakes, flour confectionery and sugar confectionery
880
810


(d)
Retail sale of fish, crustaceans and molluscs
310
300


(g)
Retail sale of tobacco products
465
395


(e,f,g)
Retail sale by confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents (CTNs)
1,225
1,205



  The total number of wholesalers in Scotland was as follows:

  
Business Activity
Number of Enterprises

2005
2006

Wholesale Trade and Commission Trade, Except of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles
6,385
6,350



  Of this, the number active in the wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco was:

  
Business Activity
Number of Enterprises

2005
2006

Wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco
1,150
1,160



  Source: Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) which is maintained by the Office for National Statistics.

Speech and Language Therapy

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take action to identify the demand for speech and language therapy among young people in secondary schools and in the justice system.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will develop and implement a strategy aimed at meeting the needs of young people with communication support needs in secondary schools and in the justice system, including adequate provision of speech and language therapy.

Lewis Macdonald: Speech and language services provided to children are determined by local authorities in partnership with NHS boards and according to the needs of each individual child. In the case of young offenders, it is a matter for the Scottish Prison Service to decide the needs of individuals.

Speech and Language Therapy

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will assess the impact of young people in secondary schools and in the justice system receiving speech and language therapy, in light of evidence in 2003 that 26% of young men at HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont had clinically significant communication impairment and 70% of young offenders had difficulties with literacy and numeracy and given that support with improving oral language skills has been shown to reduce recidivism rates by up to 50%.

Lewis Macdonald: It is for NHS boards and local authorities to determine levels of service provision based on local needs.

  Offenders in HM Prison Polmont are currently assessed for educational need based on a literacy and numeracy alerting tool which is used on induction. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, a more detailed assessment may be undertaken to establish levels of attainment and need in literacy and numeracy.

Sport

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has responded to Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool and, if so, whether it will publish its response.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how often and by what means it has communicated its decision on Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what approaches it has received from Aberdeen City Council in respect of its bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city since its initial bid of August 2006.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what approaches sportscotland has received from Aberdeen City Council in respect of its bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city since its initial bid of August 2006.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has rejected Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city and, if so, on what grounds.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action Aberdeen City Council requires to take to ensure that its bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city is acceptable.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport or the First Minister have taken to fulfil their pledges that the Executive would support Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city.

Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22 March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490.

Statistics

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of households in Stirling have a head of the household aged from (a) 16 to 29, (b) 30 to 44, (c) 45 to 59, (d) 60 to 74, (e) 75 to 84 and (f) 85 and over.

George Lyon: The latest statistics are shown as follows:

  Age of Head of Household, 2006

  
Local Authority
16-29
30-44
45-59
60-74
75-84
85+
Total

Stirling
11%
27%
28%
22%
9%
3%
100%



  Source: GROS household projections:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/library/household-estimates-projections/household-projections-for-scotland-2004-based/index.html.

Teacher Training

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people applied to enter teacher training in each year since 1999 and how many were accepted, broken down by (a) gender, (b) ethnic background and (c) disability.

Nicol Stephen: The following tables below have been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Included are applicants and acceptances to Scottish Higher Education Institutions for undergraduate study in the subject of Education. Most of these applicants will enter teacher training courses. Comprehensive application and acceptance data on entrants to PGCE courses are not held centrally.

  Applicants to Undergraduate Courses in Education by Gender

  
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

Male

755
780
790
805
915
895
955

Female

2,525
2,490
2,715
3,110
3,175
3,315
3,380

Total

3,280
3,270
3,505
3,915
4,090
4,210
4,335



  Source: UCAS.

  Note: All numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

  Acceptances to Undergraduate Courses in Education by Gender

  
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

Male

150
180
160
170
235
215
210

Female

780
820
865
910
910
895
885

Total

930
1,000
1,025
1,080
1,145
1,110
1,100



  Source: UCAS.

  Note: All numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

  Applicants to Undergraduate Courses in Education by Disability

  
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

No stated disability

3,195
3,165
3,375
3,780
3,945
4,065
4,160

Disability stated

85
105
130
135
145
145
170

Total

3,280
3,270
3,505
3,915
4,090
4,210
4,335



  Source: UCAS.

  Note: All numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

  Acceptances to Undergraduate Courses in Education by Disability

  
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

No stated disability

905
970
985
1,045
1,110
1,070
1,060

Disability stated

20
30
40
35
40
40
40

Total

930
1,000
1,025
1,080
1,145
1,110
1,100



  Source: UCAS.

  Note: All numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

  Applicants to Undergraduate Courses in Education by Ethnicity

  
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

White

2,935
2,955
3,135
3,565
3,710
3,805
3,950

Ethnic minority group stated

25
40
50
45
50
55
60

Not Known

320
275
320
305
330
350
325

Total

3,280
3,270
3,505
3,915
4,090
4,210
4,335



  Source: UCAS.

  Note: All numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

  Acceptances to Undergraduate Courses in Education by Ethnicity

  
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

White

850
930
935
995
1,070
1,035
1,045

Ethnic minority group stated

5
5
15
10
5
10
10

Not Known

75
60
75
75
70
65
45

Total

930
1,000
1,025
1,080
1,145
1,110
1,100



  Source: UCAS.

  Note: All numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

Teacher Training

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many postgraduate teacher training places are available for 2007-08 at each faculty of education.

Nicol Stephen: The following table highlights the number of funded postgraduate teacher training places in academic year 2007-08:

  
Higher Education Institution
Total Taught Postgraduate Funded Places

Aberdeen, University of
325 

Dundee, University of
160 

Edinburgh, University of
450 

Glasgow, University of
430 

Open University in Scotland
5 

Paisley, University of
185 

RSAMD
-

Stirling, University of
-

Strathclyde, University of
910

Total
2,465 



  Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

Teacher Training

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many undergraduate teacher training places are available for 2007-08 at each faculty of education.

Nicol Stephen: The following table highlights the number of funded undergraduate teacher training places in academic year 2007-08:

  
Higher Education Institution
Total Undergraduate Funded Places

Total
3,770 

Aberdeen, University of
450 

Dundee, University of
240 

Edinburgh, University of
945 

Glasgow, University of
625 

Open University in Scotland
-

Paisley, University of
305

RSAMD
95

Stirling, University of
430

Strathclyde, University of
690



  Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

  These figures have been rounded up or down to the nearest five and therefore do not sum to the total.

Traffic

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether individuals entitled to object to a permanent Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in respect of the Edinburgh trams scheme are entitled to object to the proposed temporary TRO and, if so, whether a public inquiry would be held to consider such objections, how long the Reporter to the inquiry could take to reach a conclusion, whether an inquiry would delay the construction work for the scheme and what impact any consequent delay would have on the costs of the scheme.

Tavish Scott: The making of a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, for whatever reason, is a matter for the local road authority concerned. There is no statutory right of objection in the TTRO making process.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current estimated costs are of each of the projects in its strategic transport programme.

Tavish Scott: I refer to the statement I made in Parliament on 16 March 2006 (see Official Report , c 24049) in which I provided an update on progress on our capital transport plan for new rail and road investment. The following table lists the estimated costs mentioned in my statement together with the current estimated costs for the road projects included in the plan.

  
Project

Anticipated Out-Turn Forecast*
(or Grant Limit Where so Noted)
(£ Million)


Rail Projects
 


Edinburgh Airport Rail Link

550 - 650


Glasgow Airport Rail Link

170 - 210


Airdrie - Bathgate

300 - 375


Edinburgh Tram Lines 1 & 2

450 - 500 Proposed grant limit


Edinburgh Waverley

150


Borders Rail

155 Proposed grant limit


Larkhall - Milngavie

25


Stirling – Alloa - Kincardine

65 – 70 


Road Projects
 


Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route

295 – 395


Kincardine Bridge

102 plus VAT


M74 Completion

375 – 500


M74 Raith

56-61 plus VAT


M8 Baillieston - Newhouse

170 – 210 plus VAT


M8 Associated Network Improvements

43 – 57 plus VAT


M80 Stepps - Haggs

130 – 150 plus VAT



  Note: *The anticipated costs will depend on the out-turn of the various risks associated with each of these projects, subject to limits of grants proposed for some public transport works.

  I wrote to the Local Government and Transport Committee on 13 March 2007 to explain that the anticipated outturn forecast of the Kincardine Bridge has risen from the tender cost of £93.5million plus VAT (as indicated in my statement on 16 March) to £102.5 million to include a number of items that do not form part of the core contract estimate such as provisions for grouting underground mine workings, public utilities works and engineering costs. Otherwise, the anticipated out-turn forecasts for all other projects in the programme are the same as those quoted in my statement last March.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a "preparation pool" of strategic projects for which the civil engineering sector can compete; if so, whether it will list the projects involved and, if no such pool exists, whether it has any plans to provide one.

Tavish Scott: Information on the current transport projects portfolio, which is the main area of civil engineering related activity within the Scottish Executive, is published on the Transport Scotland website at www.transportscotland.gov.uk .

  A strategic projects review for all transport modes is currently in progress and consideration will be given to how information on future infrastructure programmes can best be provided to the civil engineering industry.

  Major projects which would be cancelled after May 3 would of course have a highly negative impact on the international construction industry’s confidence in the Scottish market.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area and can be contacted for more information if required.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in respect of each of the projects contained in Scotland’s transport future, what the current estimate is of the total cost of each project and how much expenditure will be incurred in each year from 2006-07 to 2012-13.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29718 on 23 March 2007, which provides our current best estimates for each project contained in Scotland’s transport future. All answers to written parliamentary are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the costs of any planned strategic transport projects are set to rise, or considered likely to rise, over the stated estimates and, if so, whether it will provide full details of any such rises.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any information that would indicate that costs of strategic transport projects are considered likely to rise above the stated estimates has not been placed in the public domain and, if so, whether any such information will be published prior to May 2007.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Transport Scotland has published all relevant information that it possesses in respect of factors about which it has been made aware that make it likely that costs of strategic transport projects will rise above the stated estimates and, if not, whether it will publish such information, or require Transport Scotland to do so, prior to May 2007.

Tavish Scott: The estimated costs of each of the planned strategic transport projects are provided in the reply to the answer to question S2W-29718 on 23 March 2007, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  These are our latest best estimates based on the various risks currently identified for each of these projects. The final costs will not be known until tenders have been returned and contracts completed.

Transport

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list, in priority order, of its announced transport infrastructure schemes.

Tavish Scott: The planned programme of transport infrastructure schemes may be found on the Scottish Executive and the Transport Scotland websites at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/ and http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/index.aspx?pageID=1.

  All these projects are considered as a priority, which is why they have been included in the programme of committed projects.

Young Offenders

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders in young offender institutions are held more than 50 miles from their home.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  We currently publish information on the Community Justice Authority home area of prisoners in custody. The information last published for Young Offenders is given in the following table:

  

Community Justice Authority

Male

Female


Tayside

59

6


South West Scotland

99 

6


Fife and Forth Valley

83

2


Glasgow

198

2


Northern

70

2


Lothian and Borders 

98

7


Lanarkshire 

95

4


Northern Strathclyde 

119

2


Outwith Scotland 

8

1


No Fixed Abode 

5

0


Unidentifiable Address

12

2



  We do not have the information to determine the proximity of home addresses to young offender institutions.

Young People

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people not in employment, education or training there are in Stirling and what proportion of the 15 to 65-year-old population they represent.

Nicol Stephen: Table 1 shows the number of people not in employment, education or training in Stirling and the proportion of the 15 to 65-year-old population they represent, for which figures are available.

  Table 1: Level of People Not in Employment, Education or Training – Stirling

  
Total NEET aged 15-65
13,000

NEET as proportion of the 15-65 population
22.5%



  Source: Annual Population Survey 2005.

  Notes:

  1. Figures have been rounded to nearest thousand.

  2. Proportions are based on unrounded figures.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Services

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answers to questions S2W-6170 and S2W-6172 by Mr George Reid on 11 February 2004, how members of the public are made aware that there is a baby changing/nursing mother room for public use within the Parliament.

Duncan McNeil: The facility is publicised in pre-visit information in the "Welcome to the Scottish Parliament" publicity leaflet, that is distributed to over 5,000 community and tourist information outlets across Scotland, and via the visitor information page of the Parliament’s web site. In addition, the availability of baby changing/nursing mother facilities will shortly be advertised in the public toilets adjacent to the main hall. Visitor Services staff are briefed on the Scottish Executive’s "Advice for Employers" on the Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act 2005 so that they can respond appropriately to public enquiries. The team is familiar with the location of the baby changing/feeding facility and can advise visitors about it as required.

Parliamentary Services

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S2W-6170 by Mr George Reid on 11 February 2004, what arrangements exist for members of the public who wish to use baby changing/nursing mother facilities within the Parliament on a Saturday or Sunday.

Duncan McNeil: The baby changing/feeding room for the public is available on a Saturday or Sunday in the same way that it is available across weekdays (as it is open independently of the adjacent crèche facility). Visitor Services staff are available to advise visitors of the facility, and report that it is often used at weekends.